Shoulda Just Asked
by coldfusion9797
Summary: Harley plants a seed of doubt. Rick eventually gets to the truth.


**AN: My knowledge of these characters is pretty limited, I've seen Suicide Squad once and don't read the comics. But they seem fun so I thought I'd have a play with them. Enjoy.**

Rick's having a good day and it's been a while since he had one of those. The Squad are all behaving themselves, Waller's keeping her distance and he's finally past June moving out.

"Rick honey, I think you should know something," Harley says, doing her best impression of serious.

"What's that?"

"Floyd has a secret."

"Oh he does, does he? What might that be?"

"Na-uh," Harley shakes her head, "my lips are sealed." She zips them up and throws away the key. Why couldn't she have done that two sentences ago? Before the uneasiness settled in the pit of his stomach.

xxx

After that he watches Deadshot like a hawk. Sure, he could've asked but he doubts that answers would've been very forthcoming. He decides to stay quiet and observe, hoping to catch an unsuspecting Deadshot out. Not that he particularly wants to, but duty is duty after all.

xxx

Nothing happens. Floyd is the model prisoner. As long as he gets his visits with his daughter he doesn't put a foot wrong. Doesn't ask for anything else, doesn't cause an ounce of trouble. Maybe that's the problem. He's being too good. Too easy to get along with. Maybe that's why Rick suddenly feels so nervous around him.

xxx

Desperation has Rick resorting to asking the other Squad members. He gets the same infuriating answer from all of them. A knowing smirk and a twinkle in their eyes. They're up to something. Rick has to know what it is.

xxx

He stops the group meetings. If they can't get together, they can't make plans. He hates being the arsehole in the situation but he can't have them escaping either. It's for their own good as much as anyone else's. Deadly force will be the order to stop them.

xxx

A month or two go by and Rick's still no closer to an answer. He thinks about taking Floyd's visits with Zoe away but knows he could never do that. Instead he supervises every visit himself, making sure his eyes don't leave Deadshot for a single second. He never sees anything that tells him Floyd is up to something. All he sees is a father that's happy to be with his daughter. Rick hopes that really is the simple truth of it. Even if Floyd does throw him a bitter look every now and then.

xxx

Floyd ducks his head to look at Rick through the small window in his cell door.

"Have I done something I wasn't supposed to?" the prisoner asks.

"I don't know. You tell me," the soldier replies.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"No," Rick frowns.

"So why do you keep staring me like that?"

"Like what? You're a dangerous criminal and it's my job to guard you. Watching you is kind of in the job description."

Floyd raises a brow.

"Why are you being such a dick, man?"

"Excuse me?"

"We used to be cool."

"We were never 'cool'. I may have become lax in my duties for a while but I've fixed that now."

"Why? What did I do?"

"More like what are you going to do?"

"What do you think I'm gonna do?"

"I don't know, that's the point of watching you."

"I thought... Na, forget it. See you tomorrow Flag." Deadshot turns away. Rick notices the slump of his shoulders and he walks away feeling like the guilty one but that doesn't make any sense at all.

xxx

"Alright Harley, games over. You're going to tell me exactly what Lawton is hiding."

"Rick!" She beams like they are long lost best friends. Like they didn't see each other just this morning. "How was Zoe? What did you and Floyd do with her? Go to the park? I'll bet you guys had a great time together!"

"Answer the question Harley. What's this secret of Floyd's?"

"You still don't know?" she frowns. "Oh Rick, you silly sausage. You should've just asked him. I mean, that's what I thought you'd do. It's what you were _supposed_ to do. It's what I would've done..."

"I want you to tell me."

"I can't," she pouts and wiggles her little finger at him. "I pinkie promised I wouldn't."

"I could cut your pinkies off?" he suggests.

She laughs in his face. She knows an empty threat when she hears one, and the tactic screams desperation.

"Flag, honey," she says, hands going to her hips. "Go and talk to Floydie about it and try to be a grown-up. 'Kay?" She pops her gum and grins like a maniac. So if he takes her advice, what would that make him?

xxx

Instead of being a grown-up about it like Harley suggested, Rick takes it home and stews on it all night long.

What the hell could it be? If it was an escape plan why would Harley encourage him to ask Floyd about it? He tosses and turns and in the sleepless hours of the early morning finds himself wishing he could go back to the time before Harley had said anything. To the time when he and Floyd were easy. To the brief moment in time when he was happy.

xxx

It gets the better of him. More and more Rick finds himself looking back at those days after their mission with a kind of nostalgia. He thinks he misses Floyd and how they were. Floyd knows he suspects him of something now anyway, where's the harm in just coming straight out with the question? _The harm is that this means too much to you. Why do you care so very much?_ 'I don't' he lies to his conscience. Too much time spent around criminals and psychopaths? Probably, but Rick's in way too deep to change it now.

xxx

It's crazy and reckless beyond words but he does it anyway. He leaves his gun outside and steps into Deadshot's cell. Alone. The assassin is most effective with a weapon in hand, Rick's got nothing to worry about. Yeah right.

Floyd feigns indifference but Rick recognises the calculating look in his eyes.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Floyd drawls.

"Harley tells me you have a secret."

"Harley says a lot of things," Floyd dismisses.

"She claimed a pinkie promise was involved. You know anything about that?" Rick almost manages to keep the smile off his face at the thought of this stoic, no-nonsense man entering into such a bargain with the bubbly blonde.

"Hey," Floyd counters, the barest hint of a smile on his own face, "it's a vow Harley takes very seriously."

"It didn't stop her telling me that you have a secret."

"An oversight on my part. Technically she didn't break her promise."

"Now I need you to tell me what that secret is," Rick insists.

"Why?"

"Because I asked you to. That's the only reason I need."

"And if I tell you, what are you gonna do?"

"That depends on what it is."

"What if it's about you?"

"Is it?"

"Could be."

Rick takes a step forward and stares into Deadshot's eyes.

"Well now I think I really need to know."

Floyd watches him carefully, weighing his options, eventually coming to a decision.

"Promise you won't freak out. Promise it won't affect my visits with Zoe. Promise it won't stop you coming to see me."

Rick lifts his hand and wiggles his pinkie. Floyd actually laughs before entwining his finger with Rick's. It sends a thrill through Rick. Finally he will have his answer.

"You're gonna feel really dumb when you hear this. I assume you suspected I was plotting something?"

"Quit stalling."

"Fine. But like I said, a huge deal has been made out of nothing."

"Floyd..."

"Alright, alright. All I said was that it'd be kinda nice if you were less involved with my visits to Zoe as a handler and more as a friend."

"That's it?" Rick muses. He does feel kind of dumb for spending months agonising over this now. And why had Floyd thought he needed to keep it a secret?

Floyd glares at him.

"What do you mean 'that's it?'. As a general rule I don't like anyone. And I mean anyone."

"Are you saying you like me?"

"Well that's what Harley took from it."

"Why are we talking about Harley again?" Rick wonders.

"Easier than talking about ourselves," Floyd supplies.

"So that's a yes, then?"

"Yes," Floyd huffs. "That's a yes. I like you Rick Flag and I wish we could spend more time together. Totally villainous of me, right?"

Somehow Floyd's confession makes sense of the last couple of months. Of sleepless nights and misplaced guilt and the gnawing feeling that something was missing.

"Not totally," Rick allows, drawing closer and daring to lay a hand on Floyd's chest. He looks up and his eyes connect with Floyd's in an exciting new way. "But it's getting there," he finishes with a smile.

Floyd glances down to where Rick's hand is resting over his heart.

"Have you gone completely crazy?" he questions, in reference to the fact that they might get caught. More than anything that tells Rick how much Floyd cares.

"Maybe. I've been hanging around you lot long enough."

"Hey," Floyd defends, "none of us are crazy."

"Have you met Miss Quinn?"

"How did we get back to Harley?"

"You're right," Rick concedes. "Plenty of time to thank her later. For now it's all about us."

Then he hugs Floyd. Just because. It feels good to have solid grip on him.

And Floyd hugs back this time, laughing softly in his ear and Rick knows there won't be any more secrets. Not between them at least.

Eventually, Floyd wriggles his way out of the embrace and grins.

"What is it with you and hugging?"

"Why? You got any better ideas?" Rick challenges.

"Obviously," Floyd says with a roll of his eyes. They meet in the middle and the kiss is hard. Firm. Sure. It's the centre of a secret that doesn't lie between them, but one that will surround them, and Rick's just fine with that.


End file.
